The Mine (2012) User Reviews

Actually Not That Bad

[KissofLye · 5/10 · 8 September 2014]

I love horror movies and honestly, I'll give almost anything a chance which means I have watched some truly awful movies. Abandoned Mine is definitely not even a candidate for that list. It's not a great movie, but it's far from terrible. I felt invested enough to continue watching until the very end.

Sure, it's cliché. But I think the movie goes out of its way to acknowledge that. It has a generic title. It takes place on Halloween. The characters tell a scary story in front of the haunted, abandoned, so-scary-oh-god-no mine about its past on the not quite 100 year anniversary of the tragedy that caused it to be haunted. So, I don't think the movie's really trying to take itself all that seriously.

The actors are actually fairly strong for a movie like this. Alexa Vega is always a treat and though she's playing the female character who's afraid of everything, it's hardly ever grating which takes talent. Reiley McClendon straddles the line between jerk and jerkily charming for most of the movie. Adam Hendershott plays a generic, ex-jock character and does it well though his freak out at one point is actually quite good. Charan Prabhakar plays a character that is a stereotype but is also very aware of that; his deadpan delivery of some of the more outlandish lines really sells the character as the best thing about the movie for me. Then there's Saige Thompson. She's not a bad actress but she's definitely the weakest of the group, her big, dramatic moment being the worst in the film.

The main thing the movie does wrong is abandon the majority of its ambiguity near the very end causing it to lose whatever originality it had.

Ghost movie for the children...

[paul_haakonsen · 3/10 · 16 August 2013]

"Abandoned Mine" is sort of a scary movie for children. Or at least I hope so, because if this was seriously meant as a horror movie, then it just failed utterly and completely. There was absolutely nothing scary about the movie, aside from the fact it was lacking scared and the level of boredom it managed to invoke.

The story in "Abandoned Mine" is about a group of young friends who go out to an allegedly haunted mine together to celebrate Halloween. They have a good time and goof around, until one of them starts telling the tale that took place one hundred years earlier. And as a storm starts to roll in, the youngsters seek shelter within the mine shaft, and as curiosity gets the better of them, they decide to venture deeper into the mine to have a look around and see if they can scare up some spirits and ghosts for Halloween.

For a family movie, then "Abandoned Mine" would be adequate, as there is no gore, no mutilation, no scary parts, no nothing, in it to upset the viewers. But if you sit here and watch it, hoping it to be a proper horror movie, like I did, you will be sorely disappointed.

As a movie taking place in a haunted mine, there never was any sense of dread, claustrophobia or panic to be felt throughout the movie. Whether it was because of a fairly weak storyline or because the actors failed to portray such emotions, well I am most likely to say because of the lack of a proper storyline.

The people hired for the roles in "Abandoned Mine" were doing good enough jobs with their given characters, although they just didn't have much to work with.

If you want to be properly entertained by one of the spelunking horror movies, your money would be better spent on either of the "The Descent" movies. "Abandoned Mine" failed on many levels.

OK...... er that's pretty much it

[thekarmicnomad · 4/10 · 16 January 2016]

This film is massively mediocre. Now that is obviously not a compliment, but it doesn't have to be an insult either.

It has elements of recovered cam shots, but is not a found footage film. It has some elements of horror, but is not scary enough to disturb even the most highly strung small child. It has "coming of age" elements, but you don't really get to know the characters or invest in them enough to care. It's quite cheap, but not funny or "so bad it's good"

This reminded me of a cheaper version of a Dawson's Creek Halloween episode. Which is... OK.

Would I pay to go and see a Dawson Creek Halloween rip off? Hell No! But if it was on Netflix and I was desperately trying to avoid doing some work I might put it on. Actually I did, and it was... OK

Ineffective mostly kid-safe horror film.

[suite92 · 2/10 · 5 June 2014]

Five school friends (Sharon, Brad, Laurie, Ethan, Jim) organize to spend Halloween in or near the Jarvis Mine. The abandoned mine is said to be haunted by the ghosts of the Jarvis family, who were murdered so that greedy parties could steal the mine. They bring miner's hats and some climbing supplies (ropes, matches, food) to stay overnight.

They make a short descent down a fairly shallow shaft. They find the Jarvis daughters' toys, plus dynamite, tarantulas, and all sorts of stuff. Things are going fine until someone burns through the heavy rope tied to their base at the level of the mine opening. They try to climb out the way that they came, but fail. So they try alternate routes.

Jim is too large for some of the passages the group attempts, plus he is claustrophobic. So the party separates. Clever. Jim is stuck where he is until someone can extricate him from above, that is, the place where they came in.

The remaining four push on and find more artifacts from the Jarvis family. They follow fresh air. At one juncture, Brad leaves his backpack behind, and goes back to get it. He falls (well, perhaps is pushed) to his apparent death. Sharon, Laurie, and Ethan rush on a bit too quickly.

How many of the scares are Halloween pranks, how many are something unexpected?

-----Scores-----

Cinematography: 5/10 Varies considerably, from crisp and nicely shot to full-on shaky cam found-film nonsense.

Sound: 4/10 There is a whole lot of mumbling going on, punctuated by loudness.

Acting: z/10 I hate to fault the actors when the script is so bad.

Screenplay: 0/10 Scary? No. Thrilling? No. Engaging? No.

Well Alrighty Then!

[piratejimbo · 1/10 · 4 January 2019]

Basically, you can't get any worse than this. Acting is mediocre at best. Predictability factor was outrageously easy to see what's coming.

Complete waste of time to watch!

Hard to keep my interest-there are kids' movies that entertain me more

[dcvanw · 1/10 · 16 August 2013]

As the other reviewer noted, this is safe for kids to watch. But, I don't know if I'd want to subject my kids to the sub-par acting and storyline this movie delivers. I think I would much rather have them see Despicable Me 2, which is actually entertaining for adults as well(and still kid safe). I am not even sure how this got a pg-13 rating. I heard no swearing or even sexual innuendo to require such a rating. All I heard was a lot of banter from a bunch of teenagers that were not interesting at all. 15 minutes in, and I gave up on it. My time is too precious to wait around and see if an obviously bad film is going to get better.

This movie didn't just lack sex, gore, and swearing-it lacked any bit of color to make the story interesting. No offense, but it's like a church commissioned this film.

That kind of thing might be good for some, but not for me.

The Whole Film Should Have Been Abandonded

[dfa120374 · 2/10 · 16 January 2015]

A mine is reportedly haunted by one of the men who used to work there and his two daughters, who were killed in front of him. Skeptical about the hauntings, five friends decide to take a trip down into the mine as part of their Halloween outing, but when strange happenings start going on, the group members start to realise that maybe there is more to the story than what they originally thought.

Abandoned Mine is pretty poor in every sense of the word. Poor plot, poor story and poor execution. The only decent thing about it was the acting as this wasn't that bad at all. Unfortunately you can only go so far with only decent acting when everything else is so poor and even an experienced actor would have struggled to make this movie more interesting.

For a reportedly creepy horror it really isn't very creepy at all and that's a bit of a pity really because the setting of an abandoned mine is a good one. You just have to see movies such as The Hills Have Eyes Part 2 and The Descent to see how movies where the main setting - or part of one - is underground and can work really well in bringing an uneasy feeling to the audience. Abandoned Mine doesn't do that, though, and instead of being a creepy horror it just turns out to be a Jackass type of movie.

The twist of the movie (if it can be called that) can really be seen coming very early on as well, especially given what we already know about the group members. I have seen much worse but that doesn't mean that this is any good.

Definitely wouldn't recommend watching this one.

This Film was Literally Laughable

[tinqisnotboss · 1/10 · 24 January 2015]

This film was truly terrible. It was incredibly cliché, using montages while getting dressed, a completely irrelevant beginning to the movie, and a confusing plot that, as another review stated, should have been abandoned in the first place.

The acting was absolutely horrible, each character in the group fitting right into a stereotype of the real world, only a lot cheesier. There were a few twists in the movie that were never explained, specifically the end, and at several points in the movie I lost track of what was going on completely.

This movie should never have been made. If you're on this website looking for a movie to watch, please, go watch something like The Conjuring or the Blair Witch Project. Good horror movies are few and spread out over time, and to some people they don't even exist. If I were you I'd stick with some good TV. Try Hannibal. Try Castle. Try anything but this.

Not Bad At All

[ricardorodriguez-21904 · 5/10 · 4 June 2020]

It is PG-13, It isn't as bad as people say. It was enjoyable. If you pay attention the beginning, you can make out the rest of the story & ending. There were some parts that were a little drug out, bits of comedy sprinkled throughout. Not bad as "Horror" cave film.

very good

[Teo852 · 2/10 · 13 November 2013]

I can't believe this movie has such a low rating, Really enjoyed this 1 i know its not a psycho horror film like saw which is utter crap, its just a teen movie which has a few good laughs and a very twist in the ending your really gonna sit there and say oh didn't see that 1 coming.

Hahahaha could you really believe that that was my review; by no chance this movie is so bad that i could barely watch it till the end. I don't understand why the make these movies i think even children wouldn't like this. Well i guess it could be worse cause the part that i was talking about saw i was serious, saw really sucks and this movie is better then saw but that's not really a challenge is it. Well hope you don't go see this movie

A Faith & Family-friendly movie that deserves attention

[Plapirate · 9/10 · 31 August 2013]

This unpretentious little indie caught me and my family just at the right time - after recently walking out of a pretty disgusting horror film. We loved Abandoned Mine for what it is - perfect for younger and family audiences who want a fun ride with twists and turns in some very creepy mine locations. It keeps you guessing up to the very end. If you're claustrophobic, you'll feel it. The acting is very believable. Ethan is hilarious. It seems to be more of a parody on horror films. The generic title Abandoned Mine, "Happy Valley" is where they live, telling ghost stories around the campfire in front of a haunted mine on Halloween - all seems to be purposefully cliché and poking fun. So if you're looking for real serious blood and guts horror, watch something else. This is for those who want some fun scares with psychological twists and turns but don't want to be offended by gratuitous language and nudity. It's a Faith & Family-friendly movie. Great for weekend sleepovers now that school is back in session.

Better than the low rating would suggest

[Mister-Creeper · 6/10 · 26 August 2013]

Some people amaze me when they review a movie that they only watched for 15 minutes and automatically rate it the lowest possible score. No way this is a 1 out of 10. It's not even a 3.6 out of 10, which is its current rating. I give it a solid 6, give or take 1 point depending on how graphic you like your horror films to be.

There's no need for me to give the plot outline, it's already been given. For a low budget film, the acting, the lighting, the setting and the story are all above par. And let's not forget it is a bit claustrophobic at times as well. Not as much so as THE DESCENT, but still very good for the small amount of money involved. Again, I would like to give props for the lighting. For a movie like this, set inside an abandoned mine, the lighting couldn't have been any better. Great job all around. Not violent, but very well paced, acted and directed. If nothing else, great fun for the entire family. Kid-friendly stamped and approved.

Must watch movie for horror movie fans and great storyline

[jackjohan729 · 8/10 · 19 September 2013]

Movie is genuinely scary, "and a must watch movie".As a matter for climax, the story just amazed me .This is a movie that would be a perfect fit for young teens.

A must buy the movie to watch the scary "faces of your guests", it's really fun.I am sure that whole family will enjoy the film.

This movie keeps you on the edge of your seat.This is a perfect suspense thriller."There have been several films of this type recently and the majority are just lazy imitations of The Descent but Abandoned Mine is better than that." I love this movie.

The movie is well written and directed, and I am glad that it's scary without over use of nudity and blood.

Not your average teen horror, and well shot with surprises toward the end

[robertemerald · 7/10 · 12 February 2020]

It's hard for older persons such as myself to enjoy teen movies. The real problem as I see it for The Mine is that these teens are not 14 but more like 18, and one has just done pre-med, implying she's intelligent. Her excuse is that she's still in love with the lead bloke. The love triangle is actually quite adult and sweet. The story, basically, is pretty solid and nouveau, but it would have made way more sense for theses kids to have been 12. Now that would have made this movie a work of genius. They decide to party at Halloween outside an abandoned mine, one that is known to be traitorous, and one where many have met misfortune or just disappeared over the last 100 years. So obviously it's a dangerous mine. First problem. Why then is there barely a sign or proper seal to prevent entry to the mine? Second problem. Why are these kids out in the wilderness without checking the weather forecast? Third problem. Why do they agree to enter the mine rather than go back to their car when a thunderstorm strikes? At least they agree, sensibly, to only go in as far as necessary to be out of the rain. Fourth problem. Why do they agree to descend further into the mine just because their idiot lead bloke thinks it would be a hoot? One of the girls appears to be on serious anxiety medication for a start, and she's the med student, and she's first to go down! Fifth problem. How is it they are so stupid as to immediately find themselves, all of them, stuck done a vertical entrance shaft? OK, it's a teen movie, and we the suffering public have to put up with teen movie after teen movie where teens are almost always painted as idiots. Why there is no outcry against this trend I'll never know. Oddly, from here on it actually gets a lot better. The twists and turns of the mine are actually quite interesting, well lit and designed. I didn't find it claustrophobic down there. The filming is actually quite good. If you make it to the last third of the movie the story actually reaches a level of something quite profound for a teen movie. I was actually really glad I got through the cringes at the beginning. I'd even go so far as to wish the filmmakers well and assure them that The Mine was sufficiently impressive for me to look up what else they've done. Good luck to all concerned. A pretty good effort, but please spend longer when next you write your lead in.

Almost very good

[jonjethro · 8/10 · 13 June 2018]

I thought it was good writing for the genre. It's rare a b movie pays off the skeptic

You get what you ask for

[areadingwoman · 6/10 · 2 January 2015]

And it's pretty clear from the initial scene that this is a B movie all the way. Though the rating should give it away with only a PG-13. In my experience, new movies with high budgets tend to go in for gore, which means an R rating. However, I love B movies and the hokiness that comes with them (and find fear is not based on disgust), so I gave this one a try. The overall movie was decent to be sure. There were the typical stereotypes (dumb jock, cool jock, comical Indian, dumb blond, smart blond with short hair) and they were done well-ish. Though I will admit to finding every joke made at the expense of the Indian guy a bit much within the first 5 minutes of his appearance.

The real problem was in plot development. It was one of those where the writers clearly were unsure how to end the film after they gave an actually well done and surprising twist. They do play with time so separate events overlap at the end so you get numerous perspectives and that was really well done and entertaining. But the plot itself just sort of ended without a nice tie up. If that doesn't bug you, then give this one a try. However, I will warn you that you ought to keep the remote handy for fast forwarding in the beginning. The character development is long and since the film takes place at Halloween, viewers are forced to watch a montage of five minutes (but felt like an eternity) of two girls trying on costumes. Unless they are drag queens (and they aren't) there is no realistic way for two average white girls to have that many current Halloween costumes. It that sort of unbelievability that kills a B movie since they have so much less to work with. I relied on fast forward to take me through and I wasn't totally disappointed that I did continue on.

The perfect horror film you can take everyone to!!!

[dustin-norman11 · 10/10 · 2 September 2013]

This film is amazing, Jeff Chamberlain knocked it out of the park, by doing a great, locally filmed, horror film that doesn't have people thinking they should have seen something else.

I took my little sister to this, because she likes scary movies and she was floored by the twists and turns up to the last second.

For all of you horror film lovers out there, this one will take a turn that you have never seen before and will want to watch again to make sure you caught everything.

This is a must see for everyone this year, especially with Halloween coming up we all need to run out and check it out.... For me i will see it again and again, hope you all enjoy.

Great actors

[whitewitchlady · 6/10 · 24 April 2019]

I gave this a 6 because the acting was amazing for a low budget film. There wasn't a lot of high tech or amazing graphics...but the acting was good and the twist was good. So yeah - give it a shot!

A Family Movie That You Can Take Your Family Too The MINE

[billssocialmedia · 9/10 · 20 September 2012]

I Bill Wardell, was actually invited to go and see the premiere of: The MINE in Park City, Utah

A Parents Review Of: The MINE…

What a great movie it was, full of lots of scares, thrills, action and humor, etc… from start to finish it delivered on every level for a great movie experience, plus there were plenty of laughs to go around, with a very surprising twist at the end…

The beginning of the movie was my most favorite part of the film, the way the director setup the premise and the movie drama right from the start, it was done better than I have seen in a long time!! So, be a little late you'll MISS It!

And speaking of a LONG TIME, it has been a very long time since I have watched any movie, especially a very suspenseful and/or of the horror movie genres, that I would even think I could take my younger family too it, or that I would want to take my family to watch. Movies of today are over-sold and over-hyped with profane language, and all the other stuff that makes it not suitable for families.

I was able to take my oldest daughter, just about to be a teenager… and wondered if I would regret it, even though I had been assured it was not this type of movie. I figured then I would have to explain a bunch of things going in the movie to my daughter, because it was a PG-13. Now days that does not mean much to an over protective mom and dad, not wanting to expose their kids to the violence, gratuitous sexual innuendos and/or brief nudity as they call it… apparently in Hollywood brief means you still see plenty of the nudity, but it is very fast!!

As a parent who doesn't want to have my kids see or hear the awful language every-other word, type of movies, this was a very pleasant surprise to say the least!!

"Jeff Chamberlain did a fantastic job of bringing this very well written movie to the big screen… in a very Alfred Hitchcock way. There was none of the bad stuff that you expect of adult type movies with R ratings; in fact he made a real effort to make the movie enjoyable for a broad audience. I commend him on that."

I recommend this to any parent who wants their kids to be able to see a good scary movie without all the garbage. Check out this movie. Take the family…. I DID!!!

Bill Wardell

Keeping Our Kids Safe

Decent Halloween flick (in a cave)

[gressman07 · 6/10 · 3 October 2019]

Each October I try to watch a Halloween movie for each of the 31 days. Put this off last year as the reviews made it seem like a Disney channel teen drama. It isn't exactly "horror" but isn't exactly some kid friendly Goonies adventure either.

First 1/3 is entertaining enuff. Characters are cliches but it works. Townsies who never left and the pre-med who got away back in town for one apparent last hurrah with the old gang. Some old tensions/feelings arise but are mostly background noise to the larger issues (ghosts or no ghosts/getting out of mine)

Second 1/3 sees some flashes of claustrophobia. Obviously far from THE DESCENT but you can relate to increasing panic in search of escape as more ghostly seeming events occur.

Final 1/3 is strange. Initial "twists" are unfortunately seen a mile away. But things are not as straightforward as it seems, paving way for an ultimately ambiguous ending. While this likely leaves few fully satisfied, I prefer it to the too predictable route I feared it would go.

Some of the movie is done in CAM-style footage. The early on recordings/intros to characters are overlaid with flashes of them later in the mine screaming (a very small but unsettling effect). A final CAM recording ends the film, recorded prior to said adventure. Sadly prophetic, it seems to offer a deeper motivation/purpose behind it all (for at least one character).

Anyways, that's just my take on it. I dont regret it but doubt I'd ever come back for seconds. It isn't groundbreaking, and the Halloween aspects were minimal at best, but there are far worse movies out there

Definitely in My Top 10 List

[jaemilkowski · 10/10 · 16 April 2015]

I went into this movie expecting the typical lame, but comical haunted ghost movie - full of all the usual points: one note characters, bad acting and stupid dialogue.

What I walked out with? Way more than I expected and I'm now ready to list this movie in my Top 10 Favorite Horror Films.

The way the movie started, I was all set for my cheesy, B-movie night. But after about the first fifteen minutes, I found myself invested. So much to the point that I didn't even check my phone once or look away from the movie. The characters, which start with all the stereotypes, end up being characters you find yourself getting attached to. As you're with them longer and longer, this film takes its time for character development in between the paranoia-filled scares.

And not that "rushed" development like most modern horror movies love to do. You know. The ones where it's like...two lines in the entire movie and it's only done before the final scare scene? This movie doesn't do that. And the characters this film created, I thought, were very realistic, as were their reactions and responses to what's happening.

With all of that going for it, and with the movie never showing you what exactly is going after them - which a lot of the fear comes from you never seeing anything - I found myself getting nervous. How were they going to end this film in a clever way that doesn't spit on the rest of the film? You know how a bad ending can ruin an otherwise great film? I was so scared that was going to happen.

While I can't say how it ended, what I can tell you is that the build up and execution is perfect. You never see it coming and that's what makes it so great.

In reality, if I had to pick one flaw from the ending, it's the very last scene before the credits roll. Again, I won't say what it is, but it was the only thing I found myself disliking. If for any reason, the movie is an otherwise great psychological case study.

The pros to this film are the pacing and characters. At certain moments, I literally teared up! I got that attached to these characters! And that's not something easily done in horror films - especially anything coming out after the mid-70s. This movie had me scared. And being a horror movie junkie, I don't usually get scared. I'm one of those that will sit through movies like "The Hills Have Eyes" and "The Conjuring" and laugh my way through them due to how stupid and over the top they are.

So, yeah. I do recommend this movie. Not just to the horror movie junkies like myself, but anyone who's willing to have their mentality tested.

Pretty good

[cbfletch · 6/10 · 13 September 2015]

I find it very hard to find scary movies that don't have bad reviews so if one has more than 1 star I will give it a try. This was a good change for being able to watch a scary movie without the sex, profanity and extremely fake gore that it seems we keep getting these days. This movie takes you to your fears. Everyone keeps saying it's no The Descent, no it's not. The Descent was excellent and it's hard to find horror movies like that these days, but it was good. Everyone has some type of fear of being trapped somewhere (especially underground) and they do a good job of taking you there. It does follow the classic "knowing whats going to happen next", but that's also the fun in it. You will find yourself many times saying "No....don't go in there". I think the actors did a good job, they kept me interested and that's what they're supposed to do.

If I had anything bad to say I didn't really like the ending very much. I feel with the story that unfolded the ending could have been better.

But overall, if you want a movie that's scary that's is OK for kids then this will please you.